June 08, 2015

First I want to thank you all for your time and dedication over the past few months! We've done something novel and exciting here and there are only a few steps left toward completing this project.

The management team is going to be going through and reviewing observations to cut out any that don't fit the criteria of the project. In order to get everyone's observations entered and confirmed we are asking that each of you go back through your own observations to confirm the following:

* Do your observations have a DATE, TIME, and LOCATION?

* Do you have all your observations IDENTIFIED to the best taxonomic unit that you are able to discern?

* Do any of you observations have CONTESTED IDENTIFICATIONS? If someone has suggested an alternate ID you have to agree or disagree with it to have your observation be counted!

We would hate to have to cut out anyone's observations for a reason as silly as "It didn't have a date" or "iNaturalist didn't know which ID to go with", but this is the only way we can make sure observations fit the criteria we set out. We will be announcing the users with the highest species only after we go through and make our corrections.

PLEASE go through your observations, make sure none will be removed due to not meeting the three criteria above, and have all changes complete by FRIDAY, JUNE 12th at MIDNIGHT!

Finally - If anyone has any photos from the bioblitz of you or others out looking for species we would appreciate if you would send them to us for the eventual wrap-up party.

Let's get the maximum number of species possible and meet at the wrap up party!

May 31, 2015

Today is the last day to upload photos and observations from the Personal Bioblitz Spirng 2015 - any observations between March 1 and May 15. I know I will not get all of mine uploaded from my Costa Rica trip - we simply saw too much and so much is unidentified. But, everybody, get your last observations in, because tomorrow we will start tally up who saw what, who won, and so on. And if you are still waiting to get your observation ID's agreed to so they count, no worries, we will take care of that.

Have a wonderful summer and keep using iNaturalist to build up your life list. And feel free to add things to the Rutgers Flora and Fauna group too. We want to find out what is living on Rutgers areas in New Jersey and that project has no end date. Just keep on adding. Right now only 61 species are listed on that project, and believe me, Rutgers University has more than 61 species! You can of course just go in and add all the species you already have found on Rutgers during the Personal Bioblitz.
Here is the project:
http://www.inaturalist.org/projects/flora-and-fauna-of-rutgers-campus-new-jersey-usa

May 17, 2015

The Personal Bioblitz for Spring 2015 ended on May 15, but now is the time to upload those photos you didn't have time to deal with due to grading, exams, classes, etc. Get them uploaded to this project before May 31. Deadline is at midnight on May 31. Also try to ID all your observations down to species if possible, and help others

If we make an effort, we will get 10 000 observations, we only need less than 800 more! That will be a huge accomplishment. We have already probably tripled, maybe quadrupled the number of observations from New Jersey that are present on iNaturalist, which is fantastic.

After May 31, the leadership team will download the giant observation data list, use our magical statistical fingers and figure out who really won and what we really accomplished. We already know who is in the lead right now, but that might not stay like that in the next two weeks when more data is coming in.

Also, here is an opportunity. If you want to continue this for fun, here is an option:
Join the project Flora and Fauna of Rutgers Campus, which includes ALL Rutgers properties in New Jersey (including field stations, campuses, farms, HMF, Rutgers Gardens, etc.). I started this project last year and it is ongoing all the time, producing a checklist of 'wild' Rutgers species. You can add both your relevant bioblitz observations and new species you discover from now on. Here is the project link so you can join:
http://www.inaturalist.org/projects/flora-and-fauna-of-rutgers-campus-new-jersey-usa

May 15, 2015

24 hours left, to get those last new species onto your list. Are you out looking at moths and scoring owls now?
smile emoticon

The Bioblitz ends May 15 at midnight - no observing after that, just data management. Get your camera out and photograph EVERYTHING big and small tomorrow/today (May 15) so you can upload it all in the coming days. And will it be last year, that most people forgot to report humans?

May 11, 2015

IMPORTANT - When you use the ADD OBSERVATIONS box on the Personal Bioblitz homepage on iNaturalist, it does not always add the observation to the bioblitz group, just to your observation list. So ALWAYS check that your observations got added. It is easy to add them afterwards if they are missing, just open up the list of your observations,do a batch edit, mark the ones that need to be added, and then select Add to project Personal Bioblitz. For some participants dozens of observations are missing from the project, so check this carefully so you don't get fewer species than you have.

Also, keep going in and help people ID things and/or agree with their ID's. Species only counts if they are uploaded by a curator, ID'd by a curator, or are research grade.

May 06, 2015

I forgot to add, that we will have a $50 Amazon giftcard to be used for a field guide or two to the student (undergrad or grad) that uploads the MOST SPECIES. There will be other prizes for other categories. (This prize has been donated by Chuck and DIana Martin, retired professors.)

Well, this is very interesting! Ten days left to observe species for the bioblitz, and Cailin is ONE species behind professor emeritus Michael Gochfield, with Kurtis and Michael not far behind... I am rooting for the students this year, go, go! Cailin has uploaded over 700 observations, by far the most.

Current status - 94 Personal bioblitz members on iNaturalist
7732 observations uploaded
2077 species or unique higher taxa seen so far (impressive!)

...and more are coming, now when finals soon are over. Go out and photograph EVERYTHING before May 15 deadline, then upload and ID it between May 15-30. And all those photos in your cameras and phones, get them uploaded. Remember that unidentified species photos need to be uploaded in time for identification though... not at the last minute :)